On behalf of the Environment & Beautification Committee, we’re happy to introduce Go Green for Rotary. We plan to regularly update the club with ideas, tips, and techniques related to sustainability that you can implement at home or in your office. You will begin to find them in the newsletters, emails, and on the screen at meetings. If you have ideas you would like to contribute, please contact Jeff Mader or Sue Osborne with the E&B committee.

Say No to Straws All of those little plastic tubes and their paper wrappers just end up in a landfill. So skip that straw! We promise you won't miss it. 

Take What's on Tap Say buh-bye to beer bottles in favor of a nice tall glass of draught beer. Why? Because reusing beats recycling every time.

Look for Local Produce While we commend all of the participating restaurants for their do-gooder dining philosophy, we think some do gooder than others by also sourcing locally grown ingredients. Among them, Café Patachou, R. Bistro, and Recess.

Nix the Extra Napkins When cloth napkins are not available, take just 1 or 2 paper napkins. It's not like you're headed to a rib joint, people. C'mon.

Fold Up That Foil Simply tear, fold, and tuck away a square of aluminum foil in your wallet or purse. It makes for a perfect (and recyclable) way to take transport leftover pizza, sandwiches, meat, and fish home. For less solid leftovers, bring a baggie or a reusable plastic storage container.

Though many companies are already recycling their office paper, here are a few other ways you can cut back on the paper trail you leave at the office:

• Water your lawn only once or twice a week (if at all) and minimize the fertilizer applications...Even if it turns brown in the heat, it's still thriving.

• Turn down your water heater to 120 degrees or less, it saves water and energy.

• Copy on both sides of the paper. This is especially efficient for internal documents and drafts.
• Reduce your unwanted junk mail through several websites…check out www.catalogchoice.org to remove your name from catalog companies mailing lists.
• When renting a car, ask for a hybrid.  Most car rental companies have numerous hybrids and high efficiency vehicles in their fleets.
• Many farmers markets are open for business all around Indianapolis, including the farmers market at the City Market and the new Stadium Village Farmers Market on the near southside across from Shapiro’s Deli on Tuesday evenings.  Support local farmers your local economy.
• Trees and shrubs planted around your house help save energy by providing shade. They are especially beneficial on the south and west sides of your house.
• Match the size of a pot or pan with the size of the burner on the stove…a 6” pan on an 8” burner looses 40% of the energy to the air around the pan.
• Don’t open the oven door to check on your Thanksgiving Turkey…you loose at least 25 degrees, wasting energy and increasing cooking time.
•  When using the oven, cook several things at the same time… a great energy saving tip for holiday cooks.
• Keep tires inflated to proper levels, reduce your speed, and avoid abrubt starts and stops, all of which will improve your gas mileage.
• Reduce documents to fit two pages onto one. Use for circulating rough drafts or file copies of documents.
• Use lighter weight paper. Lighter paper requires less energy and fewer raw materials when it's manufactured.
• Find alternatives to mail. Use email, voice mail and fax modem transmissions whenever possible.
• Eliminate unnecessary subscriptions. Cancel newspapers, newsletters, and magazines you don't read or can access online. Take your name off mailing lists to reduce junk mail.
• Do a "paper" audit. Determine the kind and volume of paper waste your company generates, then take steps to use less.
• Make recycling easy. Place recycling bins in hightraffic areas, including the conference room and kitchen as well as by the copier and fax machines.
• Use a routing slip to circulate copies throughout the office.